Means for supporting vertical guides and other members



y 8, 1934- F. M. CHANDLER ET AL 0 MEANS FOR SUPPORTING VERTICAL GUIDESAND OTHER MEMBERS Filed July 7, 1952 [77 we rwors. 6 zwwem 1mm 4mm me WmPatented May 8, 1934 STTES PATENT OFFICE MEANS FOR SUPPORTING VERTICALGUIDES AND OTHER, MEMBERS Application July 7, 1932, Serial No. 621,144

8 Claims.

This invention has been devised with the object of assuring more safetyand more comfort in the operation of elevator cars and effecting asubstantial saving in the erection and servicing costs. In its preferredembodiment the invention is a device for attaching elevator guide railsto their supports, particularly adaptable in the taller buildings and onhigher speed elevators.

The present practice is to attach elevator guide rails to the buildingsupports by means of solid brackets, the brackets being bolted orriveted to the building structure, the guides being bolted or clipped tothe bracket. Any variation that takes place in the walls or members ofthe building that support the guide rails and brackets, such as theshifting of supports due to compression settlement, temperature, etc.,is directly conveyed to the guide rails, forcing the guide rails out ofalignment, as the guide rail does not compress or have the same changecaused by compression, temperatures, etc., as the building, but takesthe least line of resistance, which is to buckle or bend, causing theelevator car to sway uncomfortably to the passengers, causing excessivewear and tear on the equipment, and may reach a very dangerous conditionwhen the guides may be forced out of alignment to such an extent thatthe elevator car safety device will no longer operate properly on theguides, and the elevator car guide shoes or slides may leave the guiderail entirely and the car strike Various projections in the elevatorhatch, causing a serious accident.

In order to avoid the dangers as outlined and to keep the car operatingfairly smooth and comfortable to the passenger, the practice at presentis to realign the guide rails as required, which is a very costlyoperation, and the elevator is 40 out of service during the realignmentperiod.

This invention eliminates the cost of realigning the guides, and onlyrequires periodical inspecting during the period that the buildingcompresses and if adjustments are necessary, only a few minutes arerequired to each device. This invention will maintain the guides as theywere initially aligned, as they allow the building supports to shift anddo not apply this movement to the guides, and yet the guides aresupported by the building through the means of this invention, and willmaintain safe and comfortable operation of the elevator car.

One form of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, inwhich Figure 1 is a front elevation of the combination, Figure 2 is atop plan View of the combination, Figure 3 is a side elevation of thecombination, Figure 4 is a front elevation of the members fixed to thebuilding structure or support that is provided for the purpose, Figure 5is a side elevation of the singular, Figure 6 is a bottom plan view ofthe combination, Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken horizontallyon the line 2727, Figure l.

The desired accomplishment of maintaining elevator guide railsvertically in alignment, supported at approximately twelve footintervals by the building structure, the supports varying theirhorizontal position as well as the distance between supports dueprimarily to the compression of the building, which is an action thattakes place in every building, particularly in the taller buildingswhere the compression may reach as much as one-eighth inch to everyfifteen feet of building height, is accomplished as follows, when usedas a combination Figures 1, 2, 3, (guide pin 23, spring 24, compressionsleeve 29 and yoke 28 being omitted) a supporting base 1. which by meansof bolts through holes 26 is fastened to members of the buildingstructure or walls in the elevator shaft 3 a connecting link pivoted on1 through means of pin 2 so as to pivot vertically 4 a guiding castingor assembly attached to connecting link 3 by means of tie plates 6fitted into slot on 3 so as to allow rotation of 4 on 3 antifrictionwasher 5 between 3 and 4, a sliding member 7 is free to slide within 4corrugated rollers 8 allow slide 7 to slide in the up direction butarrest any downward movement of slide 7 by wedging between the wedgeshaped recess in 4 and the slide 7 a common type of elevator guide rail9 attached to slide 7 by means of clips 11 and bolts 10 shims 12 areused to pack out the guide rail to the required distance where necessary13 a pulley revolving on pin 14 attached to base 1 screw rods 15 screwedthrough upper section of base 1 actuate compressing block 16 which inturn applies the necessary tension on spring18 to exert the requiredpull on chain 19 through its tension on the shoulder of sliding pin 17which is connected to the chain by means of pin 20 the chain 19 runsover the pulley 13 and the other end is attached to slide 7 by means ofpin 21 sufiicient tension is applied to spring 18 so as to exert thenecessary lift on slide 7 through the chain 19 over the pulley 13 tolift the slide 7 plus the weight of the elevator guide rail 9 from thispoint of support to the next point of support and so on throughout theentire length of the elevator guide. This combination compensates forany uneven movement of the building structure to which it is attachedvertically to the horizontal as well as downward, supporting andmaintaining the elevator guide in alignment. When used to compensate foreven vertical movement of building supports (the parts illustrated inFigure 4 are entirely omitted), (yoke 28, compression sleeve 29, guidepin 23 and spring 24 are added).

Guiding casting 4 is bolted to the buildin structure or supportsprovided for the purpose through holes 25, slide '7 guided within 4 rail9 attached to slide 7 by means of clips 11 and bolts 10 and packed outto the required distance by shims 12, slide 7 is under tension in theupward direction by the compression of spring 24 and is held in positionon slide 7 by guide pin 23 tension is applied to spring 24 by means ofcompression screw 22 by means of sleeve 29, the tension on spring 24 isadjusted so as to lift the weight of slide '7 plus the weight of therail 9 from this point of support to the next point of support and so onthroughout the entire length of the elevator guide. Corrugated rollers 8allow upward movement of slide 7 but arrest any downward movement bywedging themselves between slide 7 and the wedge shaped recess in 4.Through this means the elevator guide rail is held in its desiredposition with the necessary support to hold the stresses and strainsthat may be applied to the elevator guide such as when the fully loadedelevator car safety operates on the guide.

What we claim as our invention and desire Letters Patent,

1. Means for connecting an elongated vertical member at a plurality ofpoints, spaced along its length, to a fixed object, comprising at eachof said points a supporting element mounted on said fixed object, aholding element fixed to said vertical member, a pivotal connectionbetween said supporting and fixed elements to permit one to rock withrespect to the other on two horizontal axes at right angles to eachother and permitting relative bodily movement between them only in avertical direction, and means for yieldingly opposing such relativebodily movement.

2. Means for connecting an elongated vertical member at a plurality ofpoints, spaced along its length, to a fixed object, comprising at eachof said points a supporting element mounted on said fixed object, aholding element fixed to said vertical member, means for connecting saidsupporting element with said holding element to permit relative bodilymovement between said elements only in a vertical direction, and ayielding connection between said elements for locally supporting thevertical member against gravity.

3. Means for connecting an elongated vertical member at a plurality ofpoints, spaced along its length, to a fixed object, comprising at eachof said points a supporting element mounted on said fixed object, aholding element fixed to said vertical member, means for connecting saidsupporting element with said holding element to permit relative bodilymovement between said elements only in a vertical direction, means forarresting the downward movement of the holding element with respect tothe supporting element, and a yielding connection between said elementsfor locally supporting the vertical member against gravity.

4. Means for connecting an elongated vertical member at a plurality ofpoints, spaced along its length, to a fixed object, comprising at eachof said points a supporting bracket mounted on said fixed object, aslide fixed to said vertical member and slidingly arranged in saidsupporting bracket to permit relative bodily movement between said slideand bracket only in a vertical direction, and a spring connectionbetween said bracket and said slide for locally supporting the verticalmember against gravity upon said bracket.

5. Means for connecting an elongated vertical member at a plurality ofpoints, spaced along its length, to a fixed object, comprising at eachof said points a supporting bracket mounted on said fixed object, aslide fixed to said vertical member and slidingly arranged in saidsupporting bracket to permit relative bodily movement between said slideand bracket only in a vertical direction, a spring connection betweensaid bracket and said slid for locally supporting the vertical memberupon said bracket, and means for adjusting the force of said spring.

6. Means for connecting an elongated vertical member at a plurality ofpoints, spaced along its length, to a fixed object, comprising at eachof said points a supporting bracket mounted on said fixed object, aslide fixed to said vertical member and slidingly arranged in saidsupporting bracket to permit relative bodily movement between said slideand bracket only in a vertical direction, means for limiting thedownward movement of said slide with respect to said bracket, and aspring connection between said bracket and said slide for locallysupporting the vertical member upon said bracket.

7. Means for connecting an elongated vertical member at a plurality ofpoints, spaced along its length, to a fixed object, comprising at eachof said points a base plate fastened to said fixed object, a supportingbracket pivotally attached to said plate to rock on two horizontal axesat right angles to each other, a slide fixed to said vertical member andslidingly arranged in said bracket to permit relative bodily movementbetween said slide and bracket only in a vertical direction, and ayielding support for said slide for locally supporting the verticalmember upon said plate.

8. Means for connecting an elongated vertical member at a plurality ofpoints, spaced along its length, to a fixed object, comprising at eachof said points a base plate fastened to said fixed object, a supportingbracket pivotally attached to said plate to rock on two horizontal axesat right angles to each other, a slide fixed to said vertical member andslidingly arranged in said bracket to permit relative bodily movementbetween said slide and bracket only in a vertical direction, a springconnection between said slide and said base plate for locally supportingthe vertical member upon said plate, means for limiting the downwardmovement of said slide with respect to said bracket, and means foradjusting the force of said spring.

FREDERICK MERRILL CHANDLER. HERMAN CARL WERNER.

